Production order grouping using grouping rules

ABSTRACT

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for grouping orders. One or more original orders are received. The one or more original orders are grouped using grouping rules to form a set of grouped orders. Upon determining that the set of grouped orders cannot be completely filled, at least one short order is created. The at least one short order is grouped with the set of grouped orders using grouping rules to form a set of consolidated orders.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to data processing systems, andin particular to order management systems. Still more particularly, thepresent invention relates to a computer implemented method, apparatus,and computer program product for production order grouping usinggrouping rules.

2. Description of the Related Art

When a manufacturer receives an order, the order is often entered intoan order management system, such as a Materials Resource Planning (MRP)system. The Materials Resource Planning system creates a unit of workwithin the order to fulfill each portion of the order. Currently, oncethe order is entered into the Materials Resource Planning system, theorder should be shipped “as ordered”. The current method of processingan order only works in an ideal world where there are no parts shortagesand all orders can be fulfilled on time and as placed.

Often, however, different issues can complicate the fulfillment of anorder. For example, an inventory shortage or a quality issue may resultin an initial order being short shipped. Short shipped means that only aportion of the ordered units are shipped to the buyer, leaving part ofthe initial order to be filled at a later date. When this happens, thereis no way to group the unfulfilled portion of the order with new ordersor with backlogged orders that have similar shipment characteristics. Asa result, manufacturing is left with many fragments of individualshipments for the remaining portions that have been unfulfilled.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The different embodiments provide a computer implemented method,apparatus, and computer program product for grouping production orders.One or more original orders are received. The one or more originalorders are grouped using grouping rules to form a set of grouped orders.Upon determining that the set of grouped orders cannot be completelyfilled, at least one short order is created. The at least one shortorder is grouped with the set of grouped orders using grouping rules toform a set of consolidated orders.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well asa preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, willbest be understood by reference to the following detailed description ofan illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a network of data processingsystems in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a data processing system in whichillustrative embodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a resource planning system in accordancewith an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a table of grouping rules in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a grouping process in accordance with anillustrative embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a grouping process in accordance with anillustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the figures and in particular with reference toFIGS. 1 and 2, exemplary diagrams of data processing environments areprovided in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. It shouldbe appreciated that FIGS. 1 and 2 are only exemplary and are notintended to assert or imply any limitation with regard to theenvironments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Manymodifications to the depicted environments may be made.

With reference now to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts a pictorialrepresentation of a network of data processing systems in whichillustrative embodiments may be implemented. Network data processingsystem 100 is a network of computers in which embodiments may beimplemented. Network data processing system 100 contains network 102,which is the medium used to provide communications links between variousdevices and computers connected together within network data processingsystem 100. Network 102 may include connections, such as wire, wirelesscommunication links, or fiber optic cables.

In the depicted example, server 104 and server 106 connect to network102 along with storage unit 108. In addition, clients 110, 112, and 114connect to network 102. These clients 110, 112, and 114 may be, forexample, personal computers or network computers. In the depictedexample, server 104 provides data, such as boot files, operating systemimages, and applications to clients 110, 112, and 114. Clients 110, 112,and 114 are clients to server 104 in this example. Network dataprocessing system 100 may include additional servers, clients, and otherdevices not shown.

In the depicted example, network data processing system 100 is theInternet with network 102 representing a worldwide collection ofnetworks and gateways that use the Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols to communicatewith one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone ofhigh-speed data communication lines between major nodes or hostcomputers, consisting of thousands of commercial, governmental,educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Ofcourse, network data processing system 100 also may be implemented as anumber of different types of networks, such as for example, an intranet,a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). FIG. 1 isintended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation fordifferent embodiments.

With reference now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a data processingsystem is shown in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented.Data processing system 200 is an example of a computer, such as server104 or client 110 in FIG. 1, in which computer usable code orinstructions implementing the processes may be located for theillustrative embodiments.

In the depicted example, data processing system 200 employs a hubarchitecture including a north bridge and memory controller hub (MCH)202 and a south bridge and input/output (I/O) controller hub (ICH) 204.Processing unit 206, main memory 208, and graphics processor 210 arecoupled to north bridge and memory controller hub 202. Processing unit206 may contain one or more processors and even may be implemented usingone or more heterogeneous processor systems. Graphics processor 210 maybe coupled to the MCH through an accelerated graphics port (AGP), forexample.

In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter 212 is coupledto south bridge and I/O controller hub 204 and audio adapter 216,keyboard and mouse adapter 220, modem 222, read only memory (ROM) 224,universal serial bus (USB) ports and other communications ports 232, andPCI/PCIe devices 234 are coupled to south bridge and I/O controller hub204 through bus 238, and hard disk drive (HDD) 226 and CD-ROM drive 230are coupled to south bridge and I/O controller hub 204 through bus 240.PCI/PCIe devices may include, for example, Ethernet adapters, add-incards, and PC cards for notebook computers. PCI uses a card buscontroller, while PCIe does not. ROM 224 may be, for example, a flashbinary input/output system (BIOS). Hard disk drive 226 and CD-ROM drive230 may use, for example, an integrated drive electronics (IDE) orserial advanced technology attachment (SATA) interface. A super I/O(SIO) device 236 may be coupled to south bridge and I/O controller hub204.

An operating system runs on processing unit 206 and coordinates andprovides control of various components within data processing system 200in FIG. 2. The operating system may be a commercially availableoperating system such as Microsoft Windows XP (Microsoft and Windows aretrademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, othercountries, or both). An object oriented programming system, such as theJava programming system, may run in conjunction with the operatingsystem and provides calls to the operating system from Java programs orapplications executing on data processing system 200. Java and allJava-based trademarks are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in theUnited States, other countries, or both.

Instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented programmingsystem, and applications or programs are located on storage devices,such as hard disk drive 226, and may be loaded into main memory 208 forexecution by processing unit 206. The processes of the illustrativeembodiments may be performed by processing unit 206 using computerimplemented instructions, which may be located in a memory such as, forexample, main memory 208, read only memory 224, or in one or moreperipheral devices.

The hardware in FIGS. 1 and 2 may vary depending on the implementation.Other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash memory,equivalent non-volatile memory, or optical disk drives and the like, maybe used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in FIGS. 1and 2. Also, the processes of the illustrative embodiments may beapplied to a multiprocessor data processing system.

In some illustrative examples, data processing system 200 may be apersonal digital assistant (PDA), which is generally configured withflash memory to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating systemfiles and/or user-generated data. A bus system may be comprised of oneor more buses, such as a system bus, an I/O bus and a PCI bus. Of coursethe bus system may be implemented using any type of communicationsfabric or architecture that provides for a transfer of data betweendifferent components or devices attached to the fabric or architecture.A communications unit may include one or more devices used to transmitand receive data, such as a modem or a network adapter. A memory may be,for example, main memory 208 or a cache such as found in north bridgeand memory controller hub 202. A processing unit may include one or moreprocessors or CPUs. The depicted examples in FIGS. 1 and 2 andabove-described examples are not meant to imply architecturallimitations. For example, data processing system 200 also may be atablet computer, laptop computer, or telephone device in addition totaking the form of a PDA.

When a purchaser sends an order to a manufacturer, the manufacturerusually enters the order into an order management system. The ordermanagement system creates a unit of work within the order to fulfilleach portion of the order. Once the order is entered into the ordermanagement system, the order must be shipped “as ordered”. Therefore,conventional order processing is optimized only for filling a singleorder as the purchaser ordered it.

Many times, however, different issues arise to prevent an order frombeing completely filled. For example, an inventory shortage due toquality issues may result in an initial order being short shipped. Shortshipped means that only a portion of the ordered units are shipped tothe buyer, leaving part of the initial order to be filled at a laterdate using a short order. When an initial order is short shipped, theunfulfilled portion of the initial order is viewed individually. Whenthe unfulfilled portion of the initial order is filled, otherunfulfilled orders and new orders arriving after the initial order arenot taken into account. As a result, when shipments are short shipped,manufacturing is left with numerous unfulfilled fragments of individualshipments. The different embodiments recognize that it would be usefulif unfulfilled portions of an initial order could be grouped usinggrouping rules with other unfulfilled portions of the initial order andwith orders received after the initial order.

The different embodiments described herein provide a computerimplemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for groupingproduction orders. One or more original orders are received. The one ormore original orders are grouped using grouping rules to form a set ofgrouped orders. Upon determining that the set of grouped orders cannotbe completely filled, at least one short order is created. The at leastone short order is grouped with the set of grouped orders using groupingrules to form a set of consolidated orders.

With reference now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a resource planningsystem is depicted in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented.In resource planning system 300, customer 302 generates one or moreorders 304. The resource planning system may be implemented usingmanufacturing resource planning (MRP) software, such as SystemsApplications and Products (SAP®) or Oracle®, or in a downstreamenterprise resource planning (ERP) software.

Of course, it should be understood that there may be more than onecustomer, with each customer generating a set of orders. Only onecustomer is shown in FIG. 3 for the sake of clarity. A set of orders isone or more orders.

Orders 304 are entered into order processing 306 for processing. Orders304 may be entered manually or electronically into order processing 306.Order processing 306 is a software program which processes orders, suchas orders 304. Order processing 306 sends messages to another softwareprogram, inventory manager 308, to determine which parts in orders 304are currently available and which are not.

Order processing 306 uses grouping rules 310 to group a short order inwhich the entire order was not filled with other orders. Orderprocessing 306 also communicates with order fulfillment 312, a softwareprocess which fulfills orders for which there is inventory available.Each order from a customer contains a list of part numbers 314 andquantity 316 ordered for that part number. In some orders, the customermay also specify date 318 by which the customer would like to receivethe parts.

The grouping rules provide information about which parts may be groupedtogether and which may not. For example, many customers prefer thatorders for large parts and small parts not be mixed together, becausewhen unpacking the order for the large parts, the customer's employeesmay overlook some of the small parts. Orders may be grouped based on avariety of factors, such as the part number, the destination, the shipdate, and the customer's grouping preferences.

When order processing 306 processes orders 304 and determines that theentire order cannot be fulfilled, a short shipment often occurs. In ashort shipment, order processing 306 sends a message to orderfulfillment 312 to process the order for the quantity of availableparts. Order processing 306 then creates a new order for the remainingparts. Meanwhile, customer 302 may continue to generate orders 304.

Order processing 306 uses grouping rules 310 to group the unfulfilledorder resulting from the short shipment with new orders coming in. Bygrouping unfulfilled orders with new orders using the grouping rules,shipments may be grouped together using the grouping rules, resulting inmore efficient inventory management and order processing.

The order as received is also known as the original order. When theoriginal order cannot be completely filled, the original order resultsin a short shipment, in which the quantity of parts shipped is short ofthe quantity in the original order, and a short order, in which theunfulfilled quantity from the original order is shipped. When a shortorder, created in response to a short shipment, is grouped using thegrouping rules with other short shipments from the original order, theorder is said to be consolidated. When the short order is grouped usingthe grouping rules with newly received orders, the order is said to becascaded.

With reference now to FIG. 4, a table of grouping rules is depicted inwhich illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Table of groupingrules 400 contains rules for determining which part numbers can begrouped together for which customer. In this example, each rule in tableof grouping rules 400 contains a part number, the country destinationfor which the grouping rule applies, the customer to whom the ruleapplies, the number of days during which grouping is allowed, whethergrouping is allowed, and the meaning of each rule.

A part number references a specific manufactured unit. The manufacturedunit may be an individual component or a pre-assembled item. Apre-assembled item may be completely assembled or partially-assembled.

The word “*ALL” is used in table of grouping rules 400 as a wildcard.The wildcard is used in a rule to indicate that the rule will apply toall parts, all countries, or all customers, depending on where thewildcard is placed. Those versed in the art will appreciate that anywildcard character or set of characters may be used as the wildcard.

Rule 402 has a wildcard for the country and the customer. Rule 402therefore states that part number (PN) 12345 may be grouped for allcustomers in all countries within a seven day time horizon. For example,if customer A orders five hundred of part number 12345 and only threehundred parts are available to fill the order, then the order for theremaining two hundred parts may be grouped with any order for the samepart number which comes in during the next seven day time frame. Thus,if the next day, customer B orders four hundred of part number 12345,the order for customer A may be grouped with the order for customer B tocreate an order for six hundred parts.

Rule 404 states that part number 67890 is grouped for all customers butonly if the destination is the U.S.A. and only within a seven day timeframe. Rule 406 states that part number 11111 is grouped only when thecustomer is Alpha and only within a five day time frame. Rule 408 statesthat part number 22222 is never grouped. Rule 410 states that partnumber 33333 is never grouped for customer Beta.

Rule 412 states that all part numbers destined to be shipped to theU.S.A. are grouped within a five day time frame. Note that rule 412appears to conflict with rule 410 because both rule 410 and rule 412apply to part number 33333. In case of a conflict where two or morerules apply to a particular part number, a rule which specifies aspecific part number, country, or customer always overrides a rule witha wildcard as the part number, country, or customer.

In this example, rule 410 applies to a specific customer, Beta, whilerule 412 applies to all customers because it has the wildcard as thecustomer. Therefore, in this example, rule 412 is overridden by anotherrule, such as rule 410. Rule 414 states that all part numbers forcustomer Beta which are destined for the U.S.A. are not groupedtogether. Rule 414 also overrides rule 410.

In this example, a first rule overrides a second rule if the first rulespecifies a part number, country, or customer while the second rule usesa wildcard for the customer. Those versed in the art will appreciatethat a mechanism for allowing one rule to override another rule or a setof rules may be implemented in many different ways.

For example, a binary override field may be added to each rule toindicate whether a rule is capable of overriding other rules.Alternately, a hierarchical rule tree may be constructed to indicatewhich rules take precedence over other rules. The rule tree would betraversed starting at the top, and in case of a conflict between two ormore rules, the rule which is the highest in the tree would be applied,overriding any rules lower in the tree. In another implementation, therules in the table could be organized based upon priority, with ruleshigher in the table getting priority over rules lower down in the table.

Rule 416 states that all part numbers for company Beta are groupedwithin a fourteen day time frame. However, rule 414 overrides rule 416because rule 414 specifies a country while rule 416 uses the wildcard asthe country. Rule 416 states that all part numbers for company Beta aregrouped together within a fourteen day time frame, only for non-U.S.A.destinations. Rule 418 states that all part numbers are grouped for allcustomers to all destinations within a seven day time frame unlessanother rule overrides rule 418.

With reference now to FIG. 5, a flowchart of a grouping process isdepicted in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Groupingprocess 500 may be a software process, such as order processing 306 inFIG. 3, which uses the grouping rules to perform intelligent grouping ofmultiple orders.

The process begins when a parts order is received from a customer (step502). The parts order and the grouping rules are used to create a shoporder containing one or more part numbers (step 504). The shop order isfilled and shipped (step 506).

A determination is made as to whether the shop order was completelyfilled or whether it was filled short (step 508). If the answer is “yes”and a determination is made that the shop order was completely filled instep 508, then the process goes back to receiving a new order (step502). If the answer is “no” and a determination is made that the shoporder was filled short in step 508, then a short parts order is created,where the short parts order references the original order (step 510). Ina conventional system, when a shop order is short filled, a new partsorder is created that does not reference the original order. Here, theshort order references the original order, so that any constraints inthe original order, such as ship date or destination country may betaken into account.

The short order is then grouped with other unfulfilled orders using thegrouping rules (step 512). The unfulfilled orders may be (1) other shortorders from different orders, (2) new shop orders that have beenreceived, or (3) a combination of other short orders and new shoporders. The grouping rules are used to determine which orders may begrouped together. The grouped orders are filled and shipped (step 514),and the process goes back to receiving orders from customers (step 502).

With reference now to FIG. 6, a block diagram of a grouping process isdepicted in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. In blockdiagram of a grouping process 600, the grouping rules from FIG. 4 andthe flowchart from FIG. 5 are used to demonstrate how the groupingprocess works.

Orders 602 contains four purchase orders. Orders 602 contains purchaseorders for 1000 of part number 12345 to be shipped by May 15, 1000 ofpart number 67890 to be shipped by May 15, 400 of part number 22222 tobe shipped by May 15, and 3000 of part number 12345 to be shipped by May24. In this example, all the purchase orders are from customer Alpha.However, those versed in the art will appreciate that purchase ordersfrom multiple customers may be grouped in a similar manner.

In grouping 604, the purchase orders are grouped based on the groupingrules in FIG. 4. The orders for 1000 of part number 12345 and 1000 ofpart number 67890 are grouped together into one shipment based on rules402 and 404 in FIG. 4. The order for part number 22222 is shippedseparately because rule 408 in FIG. 4 specifies that part number 22222is never grouped together with other orders. The order for 3000 of partnumber 12345 is not grouped together with the other orders because theship date is May 24, which is greater than the seven day time framepermitted for grouping in rules 402 and 404 in FIG. 4.

In fulfill demand 606, an attempt is made to fulfill the orders createdin grouping 604. Here, 1000 of part 12345 were ordered but only 855 arebeing shipped, 1000 of part 67890 were ordered but only 900 are beingshipped, and 400 of part 22222 were ordered but only 325 are beingshipped.

In parts short per original orders 608, the number of parts each orderis short is calculated. In creation of new demand entities 610, neworders for the shorted items are created in which the new orders referto the original orders, and new ship dates are calculated usinginformation such as manufacturing times. Here, the new ship dates areMay 22, a week later than the original ship date of May 15.

In group with existing orders 612, the short orders are grouped withexisting orders and any new orders which have been received. In thisexample, for simplicity, no new orders have been received and so theshort orders are grouped with existing orders. In orders 602, 3000 ofpart number 12345 were ordered for shipment on May 24. Because the newship date of May 22 falls within a seven day time frame of May 24 ingroup with existing orders 612, the short orders for 145 of part number12345 and 100 of part number 67890 may be grouped together with theoriginal order for 3000 of part number 12345.

In group with existing orders 612, the short order for part number 12345and 67890 are grouped together with the original order for part number12345 using rules 402 and 404 in FIG. 4, which allows grouping within aseven day time frame. However, in group with existing orders 612, theshort order for 75 of part number 22222 is not grouped with any otherorder because of rule 408 in FIG. 4.

The different embodiments described herein provide a computerimplemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for groupingproduction orders. One or more original orders are received. The one ormore original orders are grouped using grouping rules to form a set ofgrouped orders. Upon determining that the set of grouped orders cannotbe completely filled, at least one short order is created. The at leastone short order is grouped with the set of grouped orders using groupingrules to form a set of consolidated orders.

The embodiments provide for a variety of benefits. For example, when aninitial order is received and an error condition such as a shortshipment is encountered, a new order for the unfilled quantity isautomatically created. The new order is also called a short order. Incontrast, in a conventional system when an error condition occurs, a neworder for the unfilled quantity must be manually created. Orders may begrouped across various parameters, including sales orders, part numbers,within a customer, between customers, and across different delivery timeframes.

Another advantage is that, by using the grouping rules, the short ordersare automatically grouped with the unshipped portions of the initialorder. The grouping rules specify whether or not an order for a specificpart can be grouped, based on factors such as the time window withinwhich the shipment will occur, the customer, and the destination of theshipment.

Any new orders automatically created as a result of an error conditionare disassociated from the original order in that they are new ordersand yet retain a reference to the original order. Thus, unique units ofwork for each part number, each associated with a unique sales order,are maintained within the grouped shop order. Because new orders aregenerated as a result of an error condition, such as a short ordermaintains a reference to the original order, the system provides totalcontrol over order alteration or cancellation.

For example, suppose a customer order for 1000 widgets results in 700widgets being shipped and a short order for 300 widgets. Suppose theshort order is grouped with a subsequent order for 500 widgets from thesame customer. If the customer then wants to cancel the unfilled portionof the initial order because the short order references the initialorder, the order for 300 widgets can be cancelled, leaving only thesubsequent order for 500 widgets.

The embodiments allow order history and original ship dates to be tracedand ensure first in, first out fulfillment for the grouped demand.Another advantage is the ability to reprioritize and fulfill outstandingdemands independent of manufacturing, enabling manufacturing to run on areasonable schedule while assuring real-time reprioritization. Demandcan be filled before the next manufacturing run using availableinventory.

Another advantage is that parts shortages become visible immediately toapplications which are used to balance critical supplies and to chaseadditional supply when needed, such as when a supplier's commitment isnot fulfilled as expected, parts are damaged, or quality issues render apreviously reliable parts supply unavailable.

The embodiments eliminate manual order management activities and manualconsolidation analysis. A manufacturer no longer needs to run timelatent manufacturing resource planning (MRP) systems over and over againfor the same customer sales order. Thus, customer satisfaction isimproved by ensuring that short orders are immediately rolled andreprioritized in the manufacturing process. Late shipments may begrouped with other shipments created by newer orders to minimizedelivery costs and improve the customer delivery experience.

Manufacturing can run uninterrupted when partial shipments are made(short shipped) ensuring a controlled process will capture the shortageand automatically create the appropriate dependent shop orders. Theembodiments continually and automatically group partially filled orderswith new orders while still keeping track of the original customer salesorder. Depending on the grouping rules, multiple sales orders withmultiple dates may be satisfied using a single shipment. The groupingrules allow shipments to be grouped based on various factors such as thecustomer, the shipment's destination, the part, or the time horizon.

An order is continually grouped until satisfied, altered, or cancelled.Short fill quantities are grouped to create new manufacturing entitiesor become part of an existing manufacturing entity with the sameexpected ship date and customer, or ship to address. In the abovedesign, a grouped order maintains a reference to the original salesorder that created the grouped order, so the original sales order can bemanaged from a sales order perspective.

In one implementation, the shop orders could be sorted by descendingdate at time of order creation. Alternately, a ‘look backwards’ approachcould be used instead of the ‘look forward’ approach. Maintaining theoriginal desired ship date allows the shop floor control to prioritizeunits within a shipment when parts are short. To ensure the highestpriority demands, those which have missed their ship date by thegreatest amount are filled first.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of some possibleimplementations of systems, methods and computer program productsaccording to various embodiments. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder depending upon the functionality involved.

The invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardwareand software elements. In a preferred embodiment, the invention isimplemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware,resident software, microcode, etc.

Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer programproduct accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable mediumproviding program code for use by or in connection with a computer orany instruction execution system. For the purposes of this description,a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be any tangibleapparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transportthe program for use by or in connection with the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device.

The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or apropagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable medium include asemiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computerdiskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), arigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of opticaldisks include compact disk—read only memory (CD-ROM), compactdisk—read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing programcode will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectlyto memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements can includelocal memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulkstorage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at leastsome program code in order to reduce the number of times code must beretrieved from bulk storage during execution.

Input/output or I/O devices (including but not limited to keyboards,displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system eitherdirectly or through intervening I/O controllers.

Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the dataprocessing system to become coupled to other data processing systems orremote printers or storage devices through intervening private or publicnetworks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernet cards are just a few of thecurrently available types of network adapters.

The description of the present invention has been presented for purposesof illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention, the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

1. A computer implemented method for grouping orders, the computerimplemented method comprising: receiving one or more original orders;grouping the one or more original orders using grouping rules to form aset of grouped orders; upon a determination that at least one order inthe set of grouped orders cannot be completely filled, creating at leastone short order; and grouping the at least one short order with the setof grouped orders using the grouping rules to form a set of consolidatedorders.
 2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein each ofthe one or more original orders specifies at least a part number, aquantity, and a date.
 3. The computer implemented method of claim 1,wherein the grouping rules comprise one or more rules, and wherein thegrouping rules specify conditions which must be satisfied before thestep of grouping the at least one short order with the set of groupedorders is performed.
 4. The computer implemented method of claim 3,wherein the conditions specify a part number and at least one of adestination, a time frame, a customer name, and whether or not the partnumber can be grouped.
 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving one or more new orders and grouping theone or more new orders with the set of consolidated orders using thegrouping rules to form a set of cascaded orders.
 6. The computerimplemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one short orderreferences the one or more original orders.
 7. The computer implementedmethod of claim 1, further comprising: grouping the at least one shortorder with a grouped order shipping to a common destination.
 8. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: grouping theat least one short order with a grouped order shipping within a common,pre-determined time frame.
 9. A computer program product comprising acomputer usable medium including computer usable program code forgrouping orders, the computer program product comprising: computerusable code for receiving one or more original orders; computer usablecode for grouping the one or more original orders using grouping rulesto form a set of grouped orders; upon a determination that at least oneorder in the set of grouped orders cannot be completely filled, computerusable code for creating at least one short order; and computer usablecode for grouping the at least one short order with the set of groupedorders using the grouping rules to form a set of consolidated orders.10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein each of the one ormore original orders specifies at least a part number, a quantity, and adate.
 11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the groupingrules comprise one or more rules, wherein the grouping rules specifyconditions which must be satisfied before the step of grouping the atleast one short order with the set of grouped orders is performed. 12.The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the conditions specifya part number and at least one of a destination, a time frame, acustomer name, and whether or not the part number can be grouped. 13.The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising: computerusable code for receiving one or more new orders and grouping the one ormore new orders with the set of consolidated orders using the groupingrules to form a set of cascaded orders.
 14. The computer program productof claim 9, further comprising at least one of: computer usable code forgrouping the at least one short order with a grouped order shipping to acommon destination; and computer usable code for grouping the at leastone short order with a grouped order shipping within a common,pre-determined, time frame.
 15. A data processing system for groupingorders, the data processing system comprising: receiving means forreceiving one or more original orders; grouping means for grouping theone or more original orders using grouping rules to form a set ofgrouped orders; creating means for, upon a determination that at leastone order in the set of grouped orders cannot be completely filled,creating at least one short order; and grouping means for grouping theat least one short order with the set of grouped orders using thegrouping rules to form a set of consolidated orders.
 16. The dataprocessing system of claim 15, wherein each of the one or more originalorders specify at least a part number, a quantity, and a date.
 17. Thedata processing system of claim 15, wherein the grouping rules compriseone or more rules, and wherein the grouping rules specify conditionswhich must be satisfied before the processing unit executes computerusable code to group the at least one short order with the set ofgrouped orders.
 18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein theconditions specify a part number and at least one of a destination, atime frame, a customer name, and whether or not the part number can begrouped.
 19. The data processing system of claim 15, further comprising:receiving means for receiving one or more new orders; and grouping meansfor grouping the one or more new orders with the set of consolidatedorders using the grouping rules to form a set of cascaded orders. 20.The data processing system of claim 15, further comprising: groupingmeans for grouping the at least one short order with a grouped ordershipping to at least one of a common destination, and within a common,pre-determined, time frame.